Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Guilt (and gluten) free oatmeal banana muffins

My dad is the healthiest person I know. Really. He's in his late 60's has almost no body fat and can outwork most men half his age. His cholesterol and blood pressure are great in spite of eating eggs, real butter, and some form of dessert at least once a day. If you ask him what his secret is he'll tell you; oatmeal. He has eaten a bowl of oatmeal and two eggs for breakfast nearly everyday of his entire life. I think he single handily has kept Quaker Oats in business!
He's hardcore with the oatmeal too. It's the old-fashioned oatmeal, no quick cooking, brown sugar and maple microwave variety for Dad. He claims that the quick cooking kind it's nearly as healthy( and apparently the American Cancer Society agrees). Oh and he doesn't put any sugar on his oatmeal either, sometimes some raisins or other fruit but never sugar.

Oatmeal is one of those super foods that has numerous health benefits, not the least of which is lowering cholesterol levels. I know I should get more in my diet and I do occasionally eat a bowl. I just can't seem to make myself eat it everyday. Oh and I do have to add a bit of brown sugar, sorry Dad, I'm not as tough as you! Hubs will also force down a bowl now and again, but definitely isn't going to eat it on a regular basis. So I been was looking for some other ways to incorporate more of this wonder food into our diet. I came across this recipe for oatmeal banana muffins. It's low fat and has an amazing 25 grams of oatmeal to each muffin! I didn't actually set out to make gluten free muffins, but this recipe uses no wheat flour. Instead it calls for oat flour. I didn't have any oat flour on hand, but its easy to make. I put my old fashioned rolled oats into the food processor and ground them until they had a flour like texture. Super simple! It takes about a cup and a half of oats to make one cup of oat flour.
The muffins were really moist. Hubs and I agreed they taste and texture of banana bread.
These muffins are like a portable bowl of oatmeal. The fruit is even included.

Ferdzy, Thanks for the info. Most research indicates that oats in their natural form are gluten free. It is widely believed that any contamination to oats occurs in the processing. Many company such as Bob's Red Mill offer gluten free options for oats. I would recommend using one of these products if you are sensitive to gluten.

Re: Ferdzy... it's true that there is a lot of cross-contamination, but as Baked pointed out there are sources... I get mine from Lauras (I think that's the company name) and there are a couple other plants that are certified GF too.

I'm an oatmeal fan too! But here's a little secret: if you get bored of porridge, make it savoury. Just fry a bit of onion, swap the sugar for salt and add in whatever spices you like. Serve with a pat of butter if you feel like indulging. Oatmeal is so versatile!

I have always wanted to like plain, sugar-free oatmeal... but I just cannot. however, it is my favorite baking grain. I stick it in bread, muffins, scones, and cookies all the time. Oh and don't forget homemade, super sweet granola, which your dad would probably find an abomination. :)

I finally tried these today and WOW! Thanks for a perfect--and very adaptable--recipe! I used sugar replacer (because I'm diabetic), light sour cream instead of yogurt (that's what I had) and oat bran cereal instead of flour (works great and easier to find here). I left out the cinnamon & nutmeg and instead threw in a handful of sugar-free chocolate chips. Delicious! Made 1-1/2 dozen standard-sized muffins.

Was looking for an easy & healthy recipe using oatmeal & bananas. Used canola oil and splenda brown sugar instead of what was called for in the recipe and they were GREAT! My entire family loved them. They are on my counter at all times. Great low fat and no flour snack. Gotta Try them!!LinKat

Hi Shobu, I've never tried to bake in the microwave so I don't know if it would work or not. I think it would be very hard to get them to bake correctly in a microwave, but if you do try it let me know how it turned out!

As I am in the habit of Googling now to find new recipes, and I had a surplus of blackening bananas on the counter this morning, I found you and this great recipe! They are in the oven now, and I know we won't be disappointed.

(I use a coffee grinder (the find-at-a-rummage-for-$5 type) to grind bulk whole oats into flour, and it works great... Also works for flax and even dried chile peppers. To clean it, I add a handful of rice and pulse a few times, then wipe with a damp towel.)

I had lots of bananas that were becoming too ripe so I decided to google healthy banana recipes and I came across your blog and I'm so glad I did! I've made them twice already! My whole family loves them! I added crushed rainsins and cranberries and some walnuts and a bit of honey. SOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!

These look amazing, im considering cooking them for a food tech lesson in school, we had to look for a low fat recipe and my teachers a coeliac so i wanted to do a gluten free treat so she could try them, but we need to have the nutritional value per cupcake i was wondering if anyone knows it.

These baked up wonderfully. I eat gluten free just to challenge myself to learn something new in the kitchen and provide a wide variety of healthy options for my family. These are my new favorite banana recipe! I used Sucanat (unprocessed sugar cane-available at health food stores or online)instead of brown sugar. I also added 1 TABLESPOON of pure vanilla, my favorite baking flavor. My mashed bananas equaled one cup. Yum! Yum! Yum!

I didn't expect these to taste as great as they tasted! They were perfectly sweet with about a tablespoon of honey added. They're very moist, so you may want to bake them 5 minutes longer, or you could just let them sit at room temperature for a couple of hours. I will be making these often!

his is a very forgiving recipe. I accidentally put 1 1/2 cups yogurt instead of 1/2 cup(and I didn't have plain so I used banana/pineapple yogurt), saw my mistake, cut out the milk and used a glob of honey for just a bit more moisture, didn't have oat flour so used millet flour; and they turned out deliciously. This is a great recipe for experimenting with, I think.

I made a lot of mistakes and this is a very forgiving recipe. I thought the recipe said 1 1/2 yogurt so I put 1 cup yogurt and 1/2 a cup applesauce instead of 1/2 cup(and I didn't have plain so I used banana/pineapple yogurt), saw my mistake, cut out the milk and used a glob of honey for just a bit more moisture, didn't have oat flour so used millet flour; and they turned out deliciously. This is a great recipe for experimenting with, I think.

I added flax seed meal to this recipe for just a bit more fiber (not that it needs it). I've been blown away. While I have had good gf muffins, I've never been able to get gf muffins with that kind of consistency before... they always turn out a bit more cake like, which is fine. But I like this better. Thanks for the recipe. I'm sure it's going to become one of my favorites!

Any idea how to substitute Stevia for the brown sugar? I looked up the conversion (1/2 tsp liquid stevia for 1/2 c. brown sugar), but it says that with some of the bulk of the sugar missing I need to add something else to add moisture. Suggestions? Applesauce? More yogurt? Looking forward to making these!

I used 3/4 cup rice milk because I can't have yogurt and added 2 tablespoons more oat flour. Diabetic's in the family so I put in 3 tablespoons Truvia, added an extra banana, and changed the rice milk measurement so it was 1/2 cup, and for the rest I used applesauce. Great. Yummmmmmy!

Just making these muffins for the 2nd time & thought I'd leave a comment to let you know that they were delicious & eaten very quickly by my non-gf boyfriend. I used vanilla yogurt, since I had it on hand and used my regular gluten free flour mixture in place of the oat flour and it turned out great. I also replaced the egg with a flax egg substitute since I can't eat eggs. Oats are safe to eat for celiacs as long as you are buying pure, uncontaminated oats. I use Only Oats brand flakes. Thanks so much for the healthy & delicious gluten free recipe!

Half Baked - Several weeks ago I started eating steel cut oatmeal for breakfast each morning. I buy frozen organic raspberries. I pour some of them in the bottom of the bowl and then pour my hot oatmeal over the top. That thaws the raspberries. Then I cut up a half of a banana for the top. I personally love it.

I will. I perfected a banana muffin recipe, changing little things over about 50 tries, but now I'm trying my son on gluten-free so I have to throw that one out. I'll report back. Thanks for the quick answer.

The muffins turned out great with the spelt flour. The only deviations from the recipe were this: spelt flour instead of oat flour, 4 bananas instead of 2, and added chopped walnuts. Surprisingly light! Thanks for the recipe.

Thanks a ton for posting this recipe. Like your father, I eat oatmeal daily and crave it if I go a few days without. However, I do add peanut butter, honey, cinnamon, or whatever healthy supplements I have on hand. What I found most fortunate about your recipe is the oat flour. I made some with the bullet and how simple it was. Everyone enjoyed the muffins. Thanks again!

Yes it's soooo good for you- I eat a massive bowl of oatmeal every morning and I feel so healthy and never get sick. I made these muffins and they are perfect. I LOVE cakes so much and these will be great for my Healthy Breakfast Bakesale for my co-workers.

I eat a gluten free diet. One of our teachers made these as a welcomed treat for me (she is always so thoughtful). They were absolutely delicious!! Our children and I enjoy oatmeal and are looking forward to incorporating these into our weekly breakfast routine. YUM!

I have made this recipe several times and love it as a master recipe that is great as is, but can also be changed up a bit. My batch in the oven right now has an extra banana, applesauce sub for oil, a touch of vanilla and some walnuts. One of my all time fav grab and go breakfasts!

These are now a staple in my house. I by accident left out the salt, increased the soda, and substituted coconut milk. I have become convinced that coconut milk is the secret to baking with oat flour. Also, the goopier and browner the banana's the better.

I've also spiked them with flax seed meal - substituting out for some of the oatmeal. They are awesome.

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These were great, but WAY too much nutmeg - I used only half of what it called for, and it was still the dominant flavor and fragrance. I'll definitely make them again - but with just a dash of nutmeg.

Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe. I googled 'gluten free banana muffins', because I'm trying to eat a cleaner diet. The way these turned out is such a surprise because I always assume healthy=bland, but these are awesome!

I love this recipe! So healthy and delicious! I make a batch on the weekends and eat the muffins through out the week. I added chocolate chips too! Pop em in the microwave for a few seconds and "boom" instant breakfast:) Thank you!

Do you know how many calories are in one muffin? I am GF and I calorie count, carbs are not something I eat alot of. Also do they freeze well, some GF baking doesn't? I cant wait to make them this wknd!

I have made these muffins twice and they have come out awesome! the second time I did half oil half applesauce, added a tbsp of honey and dried cranberries. I wouldn't classify myself as a baker, but I will be baking these muffins many many times

Absolutely delicious! I added dried apricots which worked well and next time I might try baking with coconut oil to make them even healthier and the coconut flavour should add a little extra pizzazz!For those interested in the calorie content, I entered the ingredients into the recipe calculator on myfitnesspal.com and each muffin came out as 202 calories!

I'm always on the lookout for a good gluten-free recipe. I made these this morning for my family with a few substitutes (butter for oil, honey for brown sugar, coconut flour and almond meal for oat flour)... they turned out DELICIOUS!!! Thanks!

These are quite possibly the best banana muffins I've ever had! We are work on desensitizing my son to his egg allergy and have to give him baked goods with a minimal amount of egg daily. I am always on the lookout for healthier recipes, since I don't want to feed him cake everyday! These were wonderful, I subbed coconut oil to add in some healthier fat, added an extra banana, reduced the sugar a bit and added a teaspoon of vanilla. I also used Greek yogurt (Fage 0%). The extra thickness worked just fine. I made 24 regular size and baked them for 12 minutes. So, so, so delicious! Thank you for sharing!

These are great! I love the texture and the fact that they are so healthy. I used Greek yogurt for added protein, stevia instead of sugar, and coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. They are the perfect breakfast muffin!! Thanks so much for this great recipe! I'm going to add a bit of flax to the next batch...

I made this recipe last night with 1 banana and 1 zucchini zapped in the food processor (because its what I had.) I added an extra egg and used coconut oil and a kids vanilla yougurt cup. It was so fabulous I am freezing and squirreling this batch for myself and I think I'll feed my family the other recipe I made with left over cooked oatmeal which was much heavier. I have been looking for more GF recipes with regular ingredients and this was a winner!!

Just made this recipe after reading all the great comments. They are in the oven and they smell great and look great. I used agavi nectar for sweetening. Only 1/4 cup since it is very sweet and I used Greek style vanilla yogert. Ground my own oats for the oat flour, added walnuts and chopped dried cranberries and the rest of the recipe was as written. I know they will be great!!

Great recipe! I used chobani Greek raspberry yoghurt as I didn't have plain. I cut the brown sugar in half because if the sweetness from the yoghurt. I made oat flour in the food processer (great tip). Delicious healthy breakfast!

These came out great and I made them vegan too.I used soy yogurt, hemp milk and egg replacer for the dairy and egg. I used coconut oil for the fat and coconut sugar for the brown sugar. They are going to my child's class for snack tomorrow!

Omg, I just made these muffins last night, and they are all gone! Everyone absolutely loved them! Easy to make and healthy too! I loved the texture the oatmeal gives to them! Tip: add a little bit of semi-sweet chocolate chips for a special treat, that's what I did and they turned out great! :D I'm considering making them again tonight! Happy Baking!

Does anyOne know the calories if I use apple sauce instead of oil & honey instead of sugar? Do I just add the same amount? Sorry I'm not much of a baker but looking for low fat ideas. They sound great :)

Hi! The recipe works very well, but I did fiddle with it in order to use maple syrup instead of brown sugar, as I had none at home at the time. I also added an extra banana, twice the oatmeal, almond milk instead of cow's milk, and almond milk and two squeezed lemons intead of yogurt, in order to remain dairy free. I added vanilla to taste and an extra teaspoon of baking powder and an extra egg. I added extra cinnamon to taste due to nutmeg allergies in the family. I mixed the maple syrup with potato starch, again to taste, making a thick paste. I crossed my fingers and baked it in the oven in muffin tins, first at 400 degrees and then at 375. Both batches were done in 6-10 minutes which blew me away.. I also added walnuts and cranberries and would add coconut for sure if I have some on hand. The recipe made three dozen muffins of yummy deliciousness. Thanks for the idea. Pat Franczyk, Sharon, Ontario, Canada.

Tried these out this morning to see if they kids liked for a grab and go breakfast throughout the week. They LOVED them, and so did I! Now to make them egg-free so I can use them as a snack for my in-home preschool kids. Thanks for a great recipe!

I ate two of these every morning for my breakfast (only about fairy cake size though) when i was losing weight, and I did! They are so healthy and did not make me put wight on even though i was eating about 4 a day sometimes!!!

I made tese with apple once and they turned out beautifully, I blended half an apple into a puree and chopped up another and added chopped nuts. Was yummy!! Thanks for this great recipe!

Definitely a great recipe! Oats are sooooo healthy! I subbed agave nectar in this and used greek nonfat yogurt. oh, and I added raisins. :) Definitely like oatmeal in a muffin! I need to eat gluten free, so I used only oats brand oats which are certified gluten free. Thanks for this recipe! I will be using it regularly!

Just baked up a batch of these and they are honestly the most delicious thing I've ever eaten! Really and truly. Yay gluten free! (I wish oat flour didn't cost an arm and a leg, but what ya gonna do?) THANK YOU!

I love this muffin recipes as it is easy to convert to gluten free and dairy free. Have you ever tried adding crushed pineapple to it? Often times I make this recipe with applesauce instead of yogurt to make it dairy free. I wonder if I could use crushed pineapple in place of the applesauce since they have similar consistency....Thoughts??

I love this recipe because it's so easy to convert to gluten free/dairy free. Often times I use applesauce in place of the yogurt because dairy free yogurt is kinda hard to find around here. Have you ever tried using crushed pineapple instead of applesauce?? Thanks. Love this recipe and my kids do too. :)